L.E. Miranda
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SSR - Book 2 Chapter 78: Return (2)
🕑 Added 2025-07-25 22:51:51 +0000 UTCI REALLY want to nail these final chapters, so please, hit me with any and all feedback. I'm very open to criticism. Are the chapters hype enough? How do they make you feel? Am I managing to convey what I'm trying to? Thank you ahead of time!
***
Rylan ran through the forest, feeling like his heart was about to leap out of his throat. He felt shortness of breath, and his heart thundered within his chest faster than ever. It was as if the surrounding temperature had gone up by ten degrees. Putting one hand over his chest, he took a deep breath to try to calm down. It was a futile effort. His mind still raced.
I can’t lose them again.
The images of his family in this life overlapped with the figures of Roland’s dead parents, as well as Theodore on his deathbed. They meshed together and jumbled his mind, making him feel like the world was spinning.
Not again.
Rylan gritted his teeth to the point one of them cracked. One hand reflexively grabbed Silver Twilight’s hilt, while the other clenched tightly into a fist. At the same time, he kept thinking of how to get to Caer Rhelon as quickly as possible. Fortunately, Frozen Sanctum wasn’t too far away from the city, but he had still needed a carriage to get to the Gate. Should he take one back to the capital?
No, I’m faster with Snowstorm.
His increased stats and power level weren’t just for show. However, there were two issues with that plan. One, people would inevitably see him as he rushed to Damian’s Mage Tower. Two, it would mean spending his energy before he even saw the enemies. Since he didn’t even know how many there were or how powerful they were, this amount of energy could mean the difference between life and death. Rylan clenched his jaw.
The Falling Snow Steps are a cheap technique…
It was the whole reason why he had even chosen to learn them as his first footwork technique in this life. Even when pushed to its peak in the shape of Snowstorm, the Skill wouldn’t require too much energy even if he ran all the way to Caer Rhelon. There was also another way to increase his energy reserves and power level.
Do I have enough time to reach the Fourth Circle?
Rylan sank his feet into the earth, grinding to a halt in nothing but a few moments. He took several deep breaths and tried to think rationally, even though his body was screaming at him to run at full speed. The enemies had waited for him to contact them through Damian’s Communication Crystal and had told him ‘time is running out.’ It was unknown how long they’d had the Communication Crystal for or if his family and master were even still alive.
If they are, those bastards will contact me through the Communication Crystal to threaten me again and make me anxious. If they aren’t… I’ll need the power to avenge them.
The enemies hadn’t said how much time he still had. To stop and reach his Fourth Circle was a gamble, but he needed to do it. He took a deep breath. Strangely, his body felt more ‘real’ than ever, as if he could control his own heartbeat and force himself to calm down. It was a feeling he recognized. He was so, so close. Still, Rylan didn’t spend even a second mulling over it. He sat down on the damp earth and crossed his legs, then closed his eyes.
As quickly and efficiently as possible.
His concentration had reached its peak. All idle thoughts disappeared.
***
Damian gritted his teeth and held the stump that used to be his left arm. He’d stopped the bleeding, but it still hurt like hell, just like the burns on his chest.
“Master!” Jasmine said from the side, making him look at her with tired eyes.
She was pale and looked absolutely terrified, but she still looked at his wounds and tried to cast the healing magic she’d learned. Of course, given her state of mind, she failed. Damian perceived her mana’s movements collapse and grinned at her.
“I’m fine,” he said with as much power as he could. Then, he looked at Hayden behind her. The boy had clenched his fists so hard that blood was dripping down his hands. He was staring at the enemies with bloodshot eyes.
Finally, Damian looked at the others. Rylan’s family, the people he had sworn to protect. Gerard looked serious and uneasy, while Elizabeth was just as pale as Jasmine. Regis and Lillia stuck together with scared expressions, their hands grasping their wands as if they were ready to fight. Oddly enough, Aelfric was the only one who looked calm. It made Damian furrow his brow before he looked around. The thick blue barrier he’d cast to protect everyone still stood tall, but he knew it was only due to his enemies’ whims. He gritted his teeth again and looked through the barrier at the ten men outside it, in the very heart of the Mage Tower.
Three Sixth Circle Mages.
The two men and one woman with red robes stood in the center of the group, looking at him. The golden linings created the shape of a hawk on the robes’ side. It was a symbol anyone on the continent could recognize. Damian cursed under his breath and stared at the man in the middle. He was tall and well-built, with long navy-blue hair and green eyes. His beard matched his hair color, and he was staring straight back at Damian.
I saw him use the Communication Crystal.
Damian tried to calm down his heartbeat, to no avail. There was only one person those imperial bastards would contact with the Crystal they had stolen from him.
Don’t come, Rylan.
Damian took in all of the enemies. Aside from the Sixth Circle Mages, there were ten Fifth Circle Mages, all donning black robes. The group was a force powerful enough to level the entirety of Ceotha.
And Damian could tell they were here to deal with only a single person. The fact that he was still alive was evidence enough. There was no way Rylan would be able to survive a battle against such a group, no matter how powerful he was compared to those in the same Circle.
Just run away.
Of course, Damian knew it was a vain hope. The fact that Rylan’s family had been captured was enough to make the boy rush to the Mage Tower like his life depended on it. Rylan would come, and he would die. Damian’s nails sank into his palm, making his blood flow.
As if he could read Damian’s mind, the blue-haired Mage waved his hand and dispelled the barrier around his group. Then, he walked closer to Damian’s barrier.
“Rylan Flameheart is coming,” the man said steadily.
Gerad, Elizabeth, and Rylan’s siblings flinched at the same time. Jasmine took a step back and brought her hands to her face, while Hayden only looked at the floor with gritted teeth.
“What the fuck do you bastards want!?” Elizabeth shouted from behind the barrier, tears flowing down her face. “Why are you going so far just to kill my son!?”
The woman next to the blue-haired man scoffed. She had brown hair and warm, caramel eyes, but her expression was cold.
“Isn’t it obvious?” she asked loudly with her arms crossed. “We’re killing a monster before it can become a threat.”
Damian felt his heart drop. As expected from the level of the Mages they’d sent, the Empire’s evaluation of Rylan was high.
They won’t make mistakes.
It was clear in the faces of every imperial Mage. They were completely serious and prepared to fight to the death. They were willing to go this far to kill a single teenager. Damian cursed under his breath as Gerard walked closer to the barrier and slammed his hands on it.
“My son is not an animal to be put down,” he stated through gritted teeth.
The other man, one with green hair and blue eyes, nodded simply.
“I agree,” he replied. “As we said, he’s a monster. One that can’t be left alive, no matter what.”
Damian frowned at the enemies.
Why are they speaking of Rylan like that? I know he’s a genius, but…
He could tell that the three Mages didn’t completely believe in their own words, which meant that they were only saying the orders they’d been given. Why had their commander made it so clear that Rylan needed to die?
Did I miss something about the kid?
The questions were endless, but Damian didn’t have an answer for any of them. He looked at the blue-haired man again.
“You should be grateful, Damian Gassiec,” the man said. “Our orders didn’t include killing you at first sight. There’s still time for you to become part of the Empire.”
Damian scoffed. Was this why he wasn’t dead yet? Because the Empire still considered him a valuable asset?
“Fuck you.”
The blue-haired man shrugged and looked over his shoulder at all the other Mages.
“Get ready. Rylan is coming. To your positions.”
The Fifth Circle Mages nodded and started running around. Some moved to the nearby stairway, while the others hid behind bookshelves. Two remained standing right in front of the main entrance. Damian frowned at them.
Even if Rylan rides a carriage and rushes over here, it’ll take at least two days for him to arrive.
It was clear that the enemies were willing to wait that long, even if only to ensure they wouldn’t be caught off-guard by anything or anyone. They looked relaxed, but he could tell they were all focused on their surroundings. He clutched his hands tightly.
Please, Rylan. Don’t come.
Rylan wouldn’t be able to shift the tides on his own. At the very least, he would need to be on the level of a Sixth Circle Mage to even survive. Damian narrowed his eyes at the enemies. He was willing to lay down his life to ensure the people around him and the kingdom itself remained safe, but struggling as things were would only result in a meaningless death.
He only needed an opportunity. An opportunity to even try to do something.
Comments
Dungeonborn
So how many bad guys are there? Because once it’s said 10 enemies and then 3 + 10…
Some Guy
TFTC
